Remembering Our Past Members
Deceased Members Through April 1, 2023
5-5-5 Explanation
Long before telephones and radios, fire departments used the telegraph to communicate. When the handle was pulled on the once-familiar red fire alarm boxes found on nearly every street corner of America, a special code was transmitted to every fire station.
When a firefighter died in the line of duty, the fire alarm office would tap out a special signal. That signal was five measured dashes, then a pause, then five measured dashes, another pause…then five more dashes.
This became universally known as the Tolling of the Bell and was broadcast over all telegraph fire alarm circuits.
This signal was a sign of honor and respect for all firefighters who had made the ultimate sacrifice and has become a time-honored tradition.
Long before telephones and radios, fire departments used the telegraph to communicate. When the handle was pulled on the once-familiar red fire alarm boxes found on nearly every street corner of America, a special code was transmitted to every fire station.
When a firefighter died in the line of duty, the fire alarm office would tap out a special signal. That signal was five measured dashes, then a pause, then five measured dashes, another pause…then five more dashes.
This became universally known as the Tolling of the Bell and was broadcast over all telegraph fire alarm circuits.
This signal was a sign of honor and respect for all firefighters who had made the ultimate sacrifice and has become a time-honored tradition.
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Members who have answered their final call to service...
Town of Watertown (Dates Uncertain) Gilbert Blackmer Howard Cronk Joseph DeGuff Ovila Dufrense Norman Giddings Allan Hewitt J. Dudley Jones Howard Lister Clarence Lowe Kenneth Luffman Fred Matthews Clifford Smith Herbert Winter |
Town of Watertown (Dates Known) Edward Marcellus July 22, 1894 - February 5, 1970 Elmer Pearson March 29, 1909 - September 28, 1971 Ross Wilson September 3, 1909 - April 2, 1974 Ned Madill September 15, 1915 - January 10, 1976 Leo Williams December 29, 1910 - April 13, 1976 Hubert Hart October 6, 1902 - December 4, 1979 Henry Cornell May 30, 1908 - April 4, 1980 Henry Rule March 15, 1923 - June 24, 1980 Paul Jones February 14, 1925 - February 8, 1981 Richard Sutton November 20, 1930 - September 27, 1981 Thomas Oberton November 5, 1909 - April 25, 1983 Joseph Pearson July 28, 1905 - September 22, 1984 Neal Edgar October 17, 1938 - June 22, 1987 Howard Jeffers April 25, 1911 - January 25, 1988 Carl Wilson October 12, 1924 - January 5, 1989 Donald Palmer May 25, 1925 - October 27, 1989 Bernard Clement August 25, 1933 - February 10, 1990 Maxwell Bauder June 18, 1915 - July 8, 1990 Walter Fish May 1, 1927 - April 14, 1992 Edward Mac December 18, 1918 - May 8, 1992 Dalton Gilmore July 11, 1936 - September 7, 1992 John Stone - July 1, 1993 Gordon Kenfield September 16, 1919 - September 8, 1994 Kenneth Heath August 17, 1936 - July 10, 1995 Ray Churchill March 22, 1919 - November 30, 1995 George Lyng April 10, 1919 - January 3, 1996 Edison Conway November 5, 1905 - May 28, 1996 Herbert Smith July 17, 1905 - October 3, 1997 Kenneth Thomas April 9, 1928 - January 29, 1999 Vincent Denicola June 12, 1944 - October 8, 2000 Donald Clement August 3, 1935 - March 14, 2001 Ralph Oberton November 6, 1935 - June 3, 2001 Earl Crandall May 3, 1917 - October 25, 2001 Robert Hughes December 18, 1940 - February 12, 2002 Robert David June 5, 1930 - May 2, 2004 Donald Tremont June 20, 1922 - May 3, 2004 Harold Mustizer - Dec. 6, 2004 Francis J. Myers January 20, 1928 - March 14, 2005 David Reed May 6, 1936 - April 5, 2005 Robert “Donald” Spink - 2005 James “Red” E. Howland January 7, 1922 - July 13, 2005 Roland A. Hoppe May 7, 1917 - December 10, 2005 Franklin H. Scales December 1, 1918 - February 13, 2006 Clyde A. Kirk March 7, 1918 - May 12, 2006 Wesley Alcombrack August 15, 1922 - September 6, 2006 Neil O. Fralick Oct. 15, 1920 - June 10, 2007 Stanley Aloan November 6, 1917- July 13, 2007 Richard W. Hodge May 27, 1938 - July 19, 2007 Kenneth T. Sutton September 23, 1929 - October 13, 2007 Laura G. Howland June 23, 1949 - November 16, 2008 Leonard J. Pitcher January 4, 1926 - January 30, 2009 Sanford J. “Sandy” Hartman June 21, 1922 - May 15, 2009 Daniel Sullivan January 13, 1917 - October 18, 2009 Edward L. Clark November 24, 1915 - November 15, 2009 Randy J. Clement August 21, 1959 - December 25, 2009 Clarence T. Waters August 19, 1922 – April 1, 2010 Harvey D. Shippee December 1, 1927 – April 21, 2010 George H. Carroll April 10, 1952 - April 27, 2010 William G. "Bill" Mahon October 21, 1927 - August 17, 2010 Robert "Bob" W. Barker February 24, 1922 - December 7, 2010 Leonard S. Clement December 6, 1937 - January 5, 2011 Roger E. Bull October 4, 1958 - January 18, 2012 Mark A. Shippee September 29, 1959 - August 30, 2012 Terrance "Terry" J. Smith, Sr. October 3, 1936 - October 5, 2012 Bernard "Gary" Clement January 21, 1952 - April 27, 2013 John A. Fraser December 23, 1953 - April 4, 2014 Louis "Doc" Robert Fish June 14, 1931 - January 8, 2015 Jody E. Carroll January 31, 1958 - September 22, 2015 Amos C. “Andy” Cambron July 18, 1922 – March 2, 2016 /uploads/6/9/9/8/69986475/the_mountaineer_online_-_andy_cambron_article__reprinted_march_3_2016_.pdf Robert G. Clement October 27, 1936 - March 25, 2016 Karl J. Malady, Jr. August 17, 1927 – April 22, 2016 Richard Edwin Madill December 25, 1942 - April 30, 2017 Richard J. Smith October 22, 1931 - February 14, 2019 Ralph A. Green, Sr. January 2, 1935 - March 11, 2019 Donald Charles "Charlie" Bolio October 15, 1945 – May 24, 2019 Donald “Dinge” Tkacy (Honorary Member) April 7, 1922 - March 18, 2020 John F. Maguire Jr. June 6, 1957 – October 29, 2020 DeWitt W. Nichols November 16, 1946 – April 7, 2021 Charles E. "Charlie" Oatridge October 4, 1944 - February 3, 2023 John Earl Halback December 2, 1947 - April 16, 2023 |
